Amira's Picture Day: Reem Faruqi in conversation with Fahmida Azim

Charis and The Agnes Scott College Writers' Festival welcome ASC alumna, Reem Faruqi, in conversation with Fahmida Azim for a celebration of Amira's Picture Day. Ramadan has come to an end, and 2021 marks the 50th anniversary of the Agnes Scott College Writers' Festival. The full lineup of events is available here: https://www.agnesscott.edu/writersfestival/. This event takes place on crowdcast, Charis' virtual event platform. Register here. 

Just the thought of Eid makes Amira warm and tingly inside. From wearing new clothes to handing out goody bags at the mosque, Amira can't wait for the festivities to begin. But when a flier on the fridge catches her eye, Amira's stomach goes cold. Not only is it Eid, it's also school picture day. If she's not in her class picture, how will her classmates remember her? Won't her teacher wonder where she is?

Though the day's celebrations at the mosque are everything Amira was dreaming of, her absence at picture day weighs on her. A last-minute idea on the car ride home might just provide the solution to everything in this delightful story from acclaimed author Reem Faruqi, illustrated with vibrant color by Fahmida Azim.

Reem Faruqi is an acclaimed children's book author. Her debut picture book, Lailah's Lunchbox, was named an ALA Notable Book and a Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People and was selected for the International Literacy Association's Choices reading list. Reem's debut middle grade book Unsettled is forthcoming from HarperCollins. Amira’s Picture Day is her first book with Holiday House. Reem immigrated from Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates, to Peachtree City, Georgia, when she was 13 years old. She now lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with her husband and children. Find her online at www.ReemFaruqi.com.

Fahmida Azim is an illustrator and storyteller whose work has appeared in the New York Times, Dallas News, NPR, Vice, Eater, and more. Born in Bangladesh, Fahmida immigrated to Virginia as a child and later graduated from VCUarts. Her publishing debut, Muslim Women Are Everything, written by journalist Seema Yasmin, published in 2020. Amira’s Picture Day is her first book with Holiday House. She currently lives in Seattle, Washington. Find her online at Fahmida-Azim.com.

This event is free and open to all people, especially to those who have no income or low income right now, but we encourage and appreciate a solidarity donation in support of the work of Charis Circle, our programming non-profit. Charis Circle's mission is to foster sustainable feminist communities, work for social justice, and encourage the expression of diverse and marginalized voices. https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/CharisCircle?code=chariscirclepage

We will be archiving this event and adding closed captioning as soon as possible after airing so that it will be accessible to deaf and HOH people. If you have other accessibility needs or if you are someone who has skills in making digital events more accessible please don't hesitate to reach out to info@chariscircle.org. We are actively learning the best practices for this technology and we welcome your feedback as we begin this new way of connecting across distances.

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